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Monday, July 1, 2013

There is a blog out there called 1000 Awesome Things (http://bit.ly/19P3lWJ). It's a neat site that offers 1,000 things that are just awesome. Some are simple such as #734: When the free bread they bring you at the restaurant is warm.; some are funny, like #886: High fiving babies; and some are personal, as pointed out in #438: Your almost name.

What is fun about this blog is how easily it points out that we can think of 1,000 things that are awesome in our everyday living. The rules are simple. Count to 1,000 and on each count recall a joyful memory and why it makes you happy.Odds are, by the time you get to the 1000th we are on such a roll that you could probably think of another 1000 without stopping.

Bu apart from being a fun game, there is something more to it. At the height of the blog's popularity, it's author, Neil Pasricha, presented at Ted Talks on the 3 A's of Awesome (http://bit.ly/11Z22iH) in which he reveals the 3 secrets to leading an awesome life (hint: all three secrets begin with "A").

Though the video gives us hope that we can all lead an awesome life, the real power of this blog comes from the fact that we are already leading awesome lives and what we are finding is that the awesome things happening to us are happening to other people who find them similarly just as awesome and to share that is remarkable.

So what does this mean as someone who wants to go out into the world as a Social Worker? Connection. We are connected, we have similar likes and dislikes, similar interests, and our senses are tickled in similar ways. Yes, yes, we are all different. But we are also alike. We sometimes forget this. We forget that what healed us may also heal another, that what lifted us to try our best may help someone else achieve their goals too. Knowing that another person finds wonderful the same things you do, even if it is just one thing, can do a world of good to how you feel. Think about that from the perspective of someone suffering.

I'd like to add my own 1001th awesome thing. #1001: Someone, who I have never met, talked to, or seen their Facebook profile, thinks something is as awesome as I think it is.

So, while we are on our own hunt to make our life more awesome with the three "A's" let's not discount strangers who may think it's awesome too.

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The Center for Community Engagement supports the mission and vision of Eastern Connecticut State University by providing resources to build a culture of civic responsibility and engaged learning. The CCE creates sustainable, effective and productive relationships with community partners that benefit students, faculty and the community.